PC CORRESPONDENT FROM THE WEST BANK: Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi has succumbed to the wounds she sustained after being shot in the head by Israeli soldiers in Beita, south of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank

• Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, an American and Turkish dual citizen, arrived in the West Bank on 3 September 2024 to engage in activism work with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) as part of a campaign to protect Palestinian farmers sources told Al Jazeera.

American-Turkish Activist Killed: Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American-Turkish human rights activist, was shot in the head by Israeli forces during a protest in Beita, West Bank, and died from her injuries.

Incident at Beita Protest: On 6 September 2024, Eygi attended a protest in Beita, near the Israel settlement of Evyatar. The protest, which is held weekly, calls for the end of settlement expansion in the West Bank. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire on protesters using live ammunition, stun grenades, and tear gas. Eygi was critically injured and later died at Rafida Hospital in Nablus.

• According to witnesses, Eygi was shot by Israeli Army soldiers during the protest. An Israeli witness from the group Defend Palestine said the shooting occured following a communal prayer held by both Palestinian and non-Palestinian activists. Israeli soldiers "surrounded" the protesters, leading to confrontations between the two groups. The protesters began throwing stones, while the soldiers began using tear gas and firing live ammunition; in response, the protesters retreated from the area.

• According to witnesses, about 30 minutes after the confrontations had ended, while all was quiet, two soldiers on a roof about 200 yards away shot into the crowd of protesters. Witnesses reported hearing two shots; one hit an 18-year-old Palestinian protester in the leg, **while the other hit Eygi in the head. **

• Muneer Khdeer, a resident of Beita village in the occupied West Bank, witnessed the killing of activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. He described what he saw: “Every Friday for three years, we have been praying at a mosque in al-Masbah, opposite of Mount Sabih. After prayers, Israeli soldiers follow the young men who are heading home, which leads to scuffles. They fire tear gas and live rounds, and the young men throw stones at them,” “That day, the Israelis were firing live rounds towards the Palestinians and foreign volunteers. The two groups were about 300 metres [330 yards] apart, so the stones didn’t hit the soldiers. A sniper was among the soldiers because he placed a weapon on top of the wall. He fired two rounds, and one hit the Turkish woman, Aysenur. An ambulance took her away.The Israeli soldiers were so happy after the sniper hit Aysenur because they thought they had hit a Palestinian. source : https://aje.io/ivfzi9?update=3178716

Hospital Report: Fouad Nafaa, head of Rafida Hospital, confirmed that Eygi arrived in critical condition with a severe head injury. Despite resuscitation efforts, she succumbed to her injuries.The director of the hospital, Dr. Fouad Naffa, as well as another doctor who administered first aid, Ward Basalat, confirmed to media that Eygi had been shot in the head.

Faz'a Campaign and International Solidarity: Eygi was part of the Faz'a campaign supporting Palestinian farmers and a member of the International Solidarity Movement, similar to Rachel Corrie, another activist killed by the IDF in 2003.

IDF Response: The Israeli military stated that they fired at the lower body of the main instigator during a violent protest, and they are investigating the details of Eygi’s death.

International Reactions :

Palestinian Authority: Secretary General Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the killing, calling for accountability in international courts.

Turkey: The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed deep regret over Eygi's death.

US State Department: Spokesperson Matthew Miller offered condolences and stated that the US is gathering more information on the incident.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has offered condolences to the family of the US-Turkish activist killed by Israeli forces during a protest in the occupied West Bank. Abbas spoke to the father of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, Mehmet Suat Eygi, over the phone, Wafa news agency reported. The president called Eygi a “brave daughter of Palestine and Turkey who was assassinated at the hands of the Israeli occupation” as well as an “honest symbol of the solidarity between the brotherly Turkish and Palestinian peoples”. Abbas said he would posthumously award Eygi with the Medal of the Star of Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders are working with US and Turkish authorities to ensure a fair investigation is conducted into the activist’s killing and efforts are under way to file a case with the International Criminal Court, he added. Source : https://aje.io/ivfzi9?update=3178743

Similar Past Incidents:

Eygi is the third ISM volunteer killed by the Israeli forces in Palestine. Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza’s Rafah in 2003 and Tom Hurndall was also killed in Gaza in 2004.⁠

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-819011

EuroMedMonito Right Org. statement :

"We know Israel will at best claim "we'll investigate" & the international community will call on Israel to investigate itself. This would be a tired sham; a stunt that we have seen countless times whenever the IDF is caught red-handed. Only sanctions can deter such atrocities!"

Funerals and remembrance:

• Her funeral procession was taking place in Nablus, on Septemebr 9 among Palestinian people.

• Turkey's Foreign Ministry is exploring ways to bring Eygi's body to Turkey, as land crossings to Jordan have been shut down by Israel.

• Turkey is considering transporting her body by plane to avoid delays, following a request from her family.

source : https://aje.io/uzyds7?update=3167207

International Solidarity Movement statement :

Rob Sadler of the International Solidarity Movement says despite the killing of its volunteer Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, he and other foreign activists will continue to highlight Israel’s deadly violence and land theft in the occupied West Bank : “Clearly Israel is gearing up to subjugate the West Bank and the Palestinian people even further with the view of increasing their military control over the territory. We’re here because we’ve been invited to expose this programme of destruction against the Palestinian people and support them in practical and nonviolent ways. Clearly the international community cannot be trusted to do this as we’ve seen by the Americans’ complicity in the genocide in Gaza. So it’s more important than ever for us to show the world that Palestine does not stand alone. The existence of this terrorist state and their genocidal campaign should be a disgusting affront to all of humanity. And if our governments won’t stand against it, we will".

Source : https://aje.io/ivfzi9?update=3178814

Context :

The Nablus Governorate is an administrative district of Palestine located in the Central Highlands of the West Bank, 53 km north of Jerusalem. It covers the area around the city of Nablus which serves as the muhfaza (seat) of the governorate. The governor of the district is Mahmoud Aloul.

Nablus is not part of the State of Israel and the presence of the Israeli army is considered under international law and by the UN as an occupation. Additionally, the northern West Bank became an annexation target announced by Netanyahu's government on September 3, 2024.

Diplomatic consequences

The killing of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank has sparked national mourning in Turkey and is expected to strain Turkey-Israel relations further. Ankara is likely to pursue legal action over the incident, according to analyst Vehbi Baysan. Turkey, which had initially tried to mediate in the Gaza conflict, stepped back after Israel's rejection. While Turkey does not seek to completely sever diplomatic ties, it aims to hold Israel accountable for its actions against Palestinians, which will likely complicate the already tense relations between the two countries.

https://aje.io/ivfzi9?update=3178553